Quick-draw adjustable holster for hand guns



' May 24, 1966 H. L SLOAN QUICKDRAW ADJUSTABLE HOLSTER FOR HAND GUNS Filed Jan. 12. 1965 FIG. 5

IN VENTOR Henry I. Slmzn ATTORNEY United States Patent The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the pay merit of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates to a quick-draw adjustable holster for hand guns.

It is the custom at the present time in fabricating or manufacturing a holster for use with hand guns to fold a piece of thick stiff leather about itself and to sew the adjoining ends of the folded material together, the stitching extending through a Welt of similar material interposed between said adjoining ends. The piece of leather has previously been cut from a pattern to a size and shape to fit tightly when folded the form of the hand gun or revolver. The stitching has extended across the muzzle end of the holster-and then longitudinally thereof to its openfront edge.

Such a holster with continued use stretches to such an extent that the revolver fits loosely therein, and there has been no successful way of tightening this fit for the surer retention of the revolver. The test of a fit of a holster for a particular revolver is to hold the holster with its gun disposed therein in an upside-down position. The weapon should fit so tightly that it will not slip out when in this inverted position. A fit adequate to meet the above conditions is very important in law enforcement work in situations involving a pursuit on foot or a scuffle with a subject being arrested. In the past the only method of tightening the holster to properly lit the weapon has been to restitch or to wet the holster and permit it to dry around a weapon of similar form and size.

It is an object of this invention to provide structure in a leather holster which will compensate for the looseness or slack in the fit of the gun in the holster while permitting of a fast draw of the gun.

It is a further object to equip the holster with structure adjustable to press the gun against the opposite wall of the holster to hold the gun firmly in place in the holster.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which-- FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the holster containing a gun and showing in dotted lines the welt, the stitching for securing the welt, and with parts of the holster broken away to show the head of the welt.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the holster with gun removed.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the holster.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the welt removed from the holster.

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 3 showing a binding screw used for holding the free end of the welt in its adjusted position.

Referring particularly to the drawings, reference numeral 5 designates the holster member which has been cut from a pattern out of hard, unyielding, stiff leather and when folded about its median portion 6 forms a straight elongated wall 8 which extends the length of the holster and side walls 7 and 9, which are disposed opposite each other. The ends of side walls 7 and 9 are separated from each other by a welt 1t interposed therebetween. The welt 10 is of substantially the same thickness as the piece of leather used to form the holster. It has been cut to the shape indicated in FIG. 4 and shown in dotted lines ICC in FIG. 1 providing a foot 11 extending across the muzzle end of the holster, a body portion 12 extending longitudinally of the holster and an end portion flaring outwardly and terminating in a head 18. The welt and side walls of the holster are secured together as a unit by stitching which extends from adjacent the muzzle end of the fold 6 starting at 13 and runs along the muzzle end of the holster transversely thereof and then upwardly substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the holster to a position substantially half way between the muzzle end of the holster and the open or butt end 14 of the holster. The terminus of the stitching is indicated at 15. The stitching is thus capable of forming the side walls and welt into a pocket within the holster of sufficient size and depth to receive and support the barrel 3!. and frame of a gun, to be later described.

The free end of the welt extending upwardly from the end 15 of the stitching functions as a trigger guard engaging means. It is curved outwardly at 16 to provide a space adequate to receive the frame surface 4% of the gun immediately forward of the trigger guard when the gun is inserted into the holster. The welt is provided with a head 18 which protrudes outwardly at all times from the side walls 5 of the holster and has an inner surface 20 adapted to adjustably engage the frame surface 40 and thereby press the gun against the folded portion 6 or rear wall of the holster.

Adjustment of the head 18 of the welt to tighten its pressure upon the gun is effected through the following arrangement of parts. The welt is provided with a slot 23 extending transversely through its head 18 adapted to receive a screw binding post 24 which extends from the opposite side walls of the holster. The screw binding post is provided on one of the side walls of the holster with a square or hexagonal head lock bolt 26 inserted into the side wall. The screw binding post passes through a bushing 27 on the outer surface of the other side wall and is provided at its outer end with a fiat screw head 28 seated in bushing 27. The screwhead can be turned by a screwdriver, heavy coin or any other device suitable to engage the screw head.

During operation of the device, assuming that the revolver has a loose fit in the holster, the screw binding post is loosened by unscrewing its connection with the lock bolt 26. The thumb of the operator can then be applied to the outwardly protruding head 18 of the welt to press it inwardly toward the rear wall 8 of the holster with its inner surface fill in binding engagement with the frame surface 40 of the revolver contained therein. This, of course, alters the position of the binding post in the slot 23 of the welt. It is locked in the new position by tightening the binding post.

The particular embodiment of hand gun illustrated in FIG. 1 is formed of a frame 30 carrying a barrel 31. A cylinder 33 is supported by a crane 34 and the frame 39. The gun has a butt or handle 35 on the frame 39. A trigger 36 is disposed on the under side of the frame 30 which carries a trigger guard 33. Immediately forward of the trigger guard a frame surface 40 extends substantially parallel with the barrel 31 of the gun in position to extend into the well of the holster. Rear sights 41 are carried by the upper surface of the frame 39 extending parallel with the gun barrel. A front sight 43 is carried by the muzzle end of the barrel. The gun is inserted into the well of the holster withthe front and rear sights in sliding engagement with the elongated wall 8. At the same time the front surface 4i) of the frame 30 passes into the well of the holster in sliding engagement with the inner surface 20 of the head 18 of the welt. The pistol is thus held in place by being compressed between the head 18 of the welt and the opposite elongated wall 6 of the holster.

The holster including the welt is constructed to have very stiff and unyielding strength. Preferably it is made out of skirting leather which is a material as thick and heavy as sole leather. It is boardlike in feel and can be worked best after it has been wetted. It is the hardest and thickest leather available. The holster is of plain open top design.

By the construction described, when the revolver fits so loosely that the tightness of the holster will not support the weight of the weapon when inverted, it can be adjusted by loosening the screw binding post, pressing the head of the welt with the thumb or forefinger until it presses the revolver tightly against the rear wall of the holster after which the binding post is tightened to hold the welt in its adjusted position. The holster can be quickly adjusted to fit revolvers of different makes and sizes and to insure the proper fit of each at all times. The construction described permits a law enforcement oflicer in the performance of his duties to carry his revolver any place easily accessible and in a holster that will permit a fast draw when necessary yet provide security from being dislodged and grabbed by an unauthorized person when making personal contact with a subject being arrested. It is an improvement over holsters which have been manufactured with a strap hol ing the weapon in the holster which delays a fast draw because of the necessity of unfastening the strap. It is an improvement also over holsters which have a clasp which fits in the trigger guard to provide security and in which it is necessary to release the clasp before the weapon can be withdrawn from the holster. The embodiment described also gives the security required safely.

While the holster has been described as being made of a heavy stifi leather, it will be understood that it can be made of any other suitable material such as plastic and some of the advantages of the invention will be retained.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates only to a preferred embodiment of the invention. Numerous modifications or alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a quick-draw adjustable holster, the side walls and elongated rear wall of which form a \pocket to receive a hand gun, means for detachably holding the gun within the pocket to prevent its accidental removal, the means comprising a stiflly flexible leather piece supported by the side walls of the holster in position to be adjustably projected by the operator into the pocket to press the gun against the elongated rear wall with a pressure at least equal to that necessary to support the weight of the gun when the holster with gun is inverted, and means for maintaining the piece in said adjusted position.

. 2. In a quick-draw adjustable holster, the side walls I pressure at least equal to that necessary to support the weight of the gun when the holster with gun is inverted, and means for maintaining the free end in said adjusted position.

3. In a quick-draw adjustable holster, the side walls and elongated rear wall of which form a pocket to receive a hand gun, means for detachably holding the gun within the pocket to prevent its accidental removal, the

means comprising a stiffiy flexible leather welt supported between adjoining side walls of the pocket with a free end in position to be adjustably flexed by the operator into the pocket against the gun to press the gun against the elongated rear wall of the holster with a pressure at least equal to that necessary to support the weight of the gun when the holster with gun is inverted, the free end having a slot extending transversely thereof, and means extending adjustably from the opposite side walls of the holster through the slot to compress the side walls against said free end enough to hold it in its adjusted position, whereby the gun is retained against accidental removal in the holster.

4. In a quick-draw adjustable holster, as defined in claim 3, wherein the means for extending adjustably from the opposite side walls of the pocket through the slot comprises a screw-binding post having a head engaging the outer surface of one side Wall and screw threads adjustably engaging the other side wall, whereby rotary pressure applied to the head adjusts the pressure of the side walls upon the free end of the welt.

5. In a quick-draw adjustable holster, the side and elongated rear walls of which form a pocket to receive the portion of the frame of a hand gun immediately forward of its trigger guard, means for gripping the frame to the holster, the means comprising a stiflly flexible leather piece supported by the side walls of the holster in position to be adjustably projected by the operator into the pocket against said portion of the frame to press the gun against the elongated rear wall, and means for maintaining the piece in said adjusted position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1958 Zerbel 224-2 7/1959 Couper 224-2 

1. IN A QUICK-DRAW ADJUSTABLE HOLSTER, THE SIDE WALLS AND ELONGATED REAR WALL OF WHICH FORM A POCKET TO RECEIVE A HAND GUN, MEANS FOR DETACHABLY HOLDING THE GUN WITHIN THE POCKET TO PREVENT ITS ACCIDENTAL REMOVAL, THE MEANS COMPRISING A STIFFLY FLEXIBLE LEATHER PIECE SUPPORTED BY THE SIDE WALLS OF THE HOLSTER IN POSITION TO BE ADJUSTABLY PROJECTED BY THE OPERATOR INTO THE POCKET TO PRESS THE GUN AGAINST THE ELONGATED REAR WALL WITH A PRESSURE AT LEAST EQUAL TO THAT NECESSARY TO SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF THE 